Chapter Eight

Alone with him in her house, standing there in her living room, Kit decided Shane Dugan filled the space. Her insides twisted. There was nowhere to turn. She squared her shoulders and made a split-second decision there was no way in hell she could live under the same roof as this too-cute fireman. She had to undo this nightmare right here and now.

Ever since Brian and his lip-lock with her stupid cousin, she was closed to the idea of a man, any man whatsoever, zooming around in her orbit. It made life easier that way or at least somewhat sane. In the time since she and Brian had broken up, she hadn’t had an iota of interest in men, hadn’t noticed anything about a single one of the species who crossed her path. Now Shane Dugan was here in front of her, pale-blue shirt draping his broad shoulders, clinging down over his taut torso, and disappearing into a tuck of his faded jeans that fit like custom. Oh lordy, no way.

“Thanks for agreeing to let me rent your room.” His smile was dazzling. “I know you were hesitant about it at first, but I promise most of the time you won’t even know I’m around.”

She looked away, and her gaze landed on his T-shirt logo, Sycamore River Fire Academy. “Actually…” She hated this part, but this was a no go.

“And,” he said, all smiley. He pointed a finger in the air. “I’m handy. I can fix things.”

“I, uh, don’t have anything that’s, um, broken.” Except my common sense. Yeah, that’s worse than my Honda that got carted away in pieces.

“But if you ever do, I’m your man.”

No, Shane Dugan. Do not tell me you are my man. Trying to cut down, thanks.

“I appreciate that, Shane, really, but…”

“And don’t worry about that cousin of yours. I’ve got no problem letting her think I’m your boyfriend for a little while.” He placed his large, manly hands on his chest, fingers splayed. “Like that would be a tough job for any guy.”

Parts of her that had been on ice were coming alive, her resolve melting in a succession of drips of maybe and puddling at her feet. What the heck was going on? No good would come from this thawing he produced.

“I don’t know.” She uttered a little laugh. “In hindsight I’m thinking I should just pull the plug on this now. It’s too crazy.”

“Crazier than that cousin of yours stealing your boyfriend and then expecting you to just be okay with it? Now that’s crazy.”

After all this time why did it still feel good to have someone else put voice to the injustice she’d had to deal with? She was over it. Well, she was over Brian, anyway. Last time she’d seen him, all she could think about was how big his Adam’s apple was and how it looked as if he’d swallowed a hamster or something.

“Yeah, that was pretty shitty. But so is lying about having a boyfriend. It’s just not me.”

He blew out a big breath. “Okay, look, I agree it’s kind of out there.” He laughed that nice sound while his eyes sparkled at her. “And it’s your call, but like I said, I’ve got no problem playing along.”

She turned away, and folding her arms across her chest, she paced around the sofa. “What about your girlfriend?”

“Dana’s not coming home until Labor Day, and when she hears the circumstances, she won’t mind.”

“You’re going to tell her about this?”

Shane shrugged. “I was going to wait until she got home, but yeah.”

Kit continued to pace. “We don’t know anything about each other. How are we supposed to pull off being in a relationship? It’ll be like living with a pop quiz hanging over our heads all the time.”

“Hey, I’m a quick study. Ask Hop. He’ll tell you. We’ll go over some basic stuff to make it sound legit.”

“By Saturday?” She stopped her pacing and stared at him. “My aunt is hosting a dinner party on Saturday, and my mother is coming home from her cruise in time for it. Oh my God. My mother will be there. She’s a bloodhound.”

“First off, thank you for not doing laps around the couch anymore because it was making me dizzy.” He tilted his head, as if waiting for her to smile, which she did, and his famous grin broke out across his mouth. “Good. Maybe you’re starting to see the humor in the situation. It’ll be okay.”

“You haven’t met my mother.”

“By Saturday we’ll be so convincing even your mother will believe it’s true.”

Could they really do this? The ruse had to be better than telling Co-Co and her mother that what they saw in Rosie’s Bridals was a façade for their benefit. Her humiliation was already at full tilt.

“And with regard to the, uh, PDAs, I think we can dial that back.” She tried to cast the soft touch of his lips at her temple from her mind and the way his strong arm felt around her shoulders.

“Oh, you mean the smooch?” He pointed to his own temple. “If you want us to look like a real couple, we’re going to have to act like it.”

“Okay, but no lips.”

He saluted her. “Got it. Lips are off limits.”

She was doing this. This cute guy was going to move into her house and act to all the world like he was her boyfriend. There really was no turning back.

“Then I guess we forge ahead.”

“Great.”

“So, okay, let me show you around.” She watched his eyes scanning the room, and she assessed the place as if she were seeing it for the first time.

The double windows in the front of the room covered by wooden blinds looked frilly to her now topped with that pinstriped valance and the pom-pom trim. The oatmeal-toned, loose-pillow sofa with the gingham-plaid pillows seemed sort of fussy. The butler’s tray coffee table appeared too petite, like doll furniture. Was the rattan side chair strong enough to hold a hulky guy like him?

“Really nice.” He returned his gaze to meet hers. “Cozy.”

His eyes intrigued her with their springtime tones, and his lush eyelashes served as a canopy over them. Somewhere inside she thumped, and she turned away abruptly. “The, uh, kitchen is this way.” He followed her through a doorway.

This small square room was her favorite. She loved her kitchen with its stubby little free-standing island crafted of butcher block darkened with age and the wood surface rutted from the years of use. Her old enamel stove with the squeaky door worked great, and she’d keep the relic until it bit the dust. She even appreciated the retro yellow Formica countertops and the white-painted cabinets with their black wrought-iron hinges with points like arrowheads. It was home.

“Cute,” Shane said. He knocked his knuckles onto the butcher-block surface of the island. “This is nice.”

“I should tell you now I’m kind of a neat freak.” She watched for a reaction. If he was a slob or anything, she was screwed. “I like order.”

“I can appreciate that.”

“And you can use the kitchen, but you’ll need to clean up after yourself. No dishes in the sink or anything.”

“Got it. I don’t really cook unless you count English-muffin pizzas.” He laughed. “I mostly do take-out, especially now that Dana’s in Milan. It’s a six-month stint, and she’s more than two months in. It’s for work. She makes perfume.”

She looked away from him. Something in his voice sounded wistful or kind of sad. Noticing stuff like that would be a no-no going forward. She would not get too friendly with this temporary renter. She’d gotten pretty good at keeping her distance from men and needed to continue to hone that skill.

He pulled a check out of his back pocket and handed it to her. “I’m going to need a written note from you for the fire department stating I lease a room here. This is three months’ rent in full, like we discussed at Hop’s.”

She took the check from his hand. “When, uh, were you planning on moving in?”

He shrugged. “I can move in whenever you’re ready. My stuff’s all packed.”

Kit folded the check. “Want to see the loft?”

“Yes,” he said. He followed her across the room, and then he took the steps behind her.

With each step she wondered what her butt looked like and cursed again the snacking habit she’d adopted since The Incident.

At the top Shane glanced around the loft, taking in the space. “This is plenty of room.” He walked across the flooring. “Nice hardwood.”

She pointed to the banister that looked out onto the vaulted living room. “I figure we could put some blankets or something over this to give you more privacy.” She pointed to the door across the space. “And there’s a bathroom in there.”

“I’ll be sure to leave the bathroom tidy, too. Like a Boy Scout.”

She laughed. There was something so charming about this fireman and definitely not in a Boy Scout kind of way. She tried to shake it off. Her immunity already showed signs of wear, and she needed to repair it like a busted seam. She’d keep the fact he had a girlfriend in the forefront of her mind like a talisman, wear that fact around her neck like a necklace of garlic, and she’d consider Shane Dugan a vampire. Yup, that was how she’d do it.